The Art of Keeping Up with Yesterdayhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com
Combining Art and ProgrammingWed, 23 May 2018 20:23:52 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngThe Art of Keeping Up with Yesterdayhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com
Sharing Art: Pinteresthttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/sharing-art-pinterest/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/sharing-art-pinterest/#respondThu, 26 Apr 2012 19:02:45 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=81It’s started to take the web by storm: Pinterest. The newest in ways to gain internet popularity. The website is full of interesting artistic things, from DIY projects shared over the interwebs, to my own boards that center around internet design. I have been floored by the intelligence, by the art portrayed in this magical site.

However, it seems to also provide a sort of… conformity and an understanding of what people desire. The understanding is being pushed under the rug- two pins that I’ve pinned have come from memebase, and were just funny, not artistic in the way the others were, but they were light. And humorous. Those gained more popularity than the beautiful dresses I’ve pinned and the beautiful make up or the delicious looking foods and the cute puppies. And that led me to think: How much art can people really take on the internet?

Sure there are people who love art, I love art- videos, music, paintings, sculptures, designs- but there is also a truth to the idea that people also love to laugh. They enjoy wit. They enjoy that humor. And I think that with the internet around, it’s become more socially acceptable to admit to liking just simple, straight-forward jokes and punchlines.

Pinterest.com is lovely, and has a lovely design and an easy-to-use interface. It hasn’t been infected with trolls and it allows for everyone’s interpretation of what is beautiful or what is useful. And it’s interesting to observe just how people balance out their lives and interests.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/sharing-art-pinterest/feed/0paigecarlCinematic Art and Video Gameshttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/75/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/75/#respondMon, 23 Apr 2012 17:48:16 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=75So recently I got a job working for the video game website original-gamer.com writing articles about, well, video games. I don’t know much about video games to start off with, but as I began to learn more I became more and more fascinated with what I’ve seen.

Video games nowadays are amazing. I recently wrote articles about two games: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (Theater-Rhythm) and Prey 2. I was fascinated as I watched the trailers for both of them. The amount of attention to artistic detail in both of them was fascinating. In Prey 2, the designers talked about how they wanted to use as much cinematic skill as they could to make the video game that much more amazing. In the Final Fantasy games, the creators worked hard at mixing this genre of game with story and music.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/75/feed/0paigecarlCommunicating Emotionhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/communicating-emotion/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/communicating-emotion/#respondMon, 23 Apr 2012 02:56:54 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=67Alright. So they’re everywhere: Emoticons. What are they though? They are faces. They express emotion. But what more do they do? Do they do anymore? When they don’t express emotion enough people push further. There’s a website called “My Face When”. The website is full of different avatars, all expressing a multitude of emotions. But there’s something more, something deeper than that.

I feel that even though they are communication emotions, they are communicating on a scale that can only be understood and only could have existed with the growing use of the internet. Phrases like “u mad bro?” and “cool story brah” are really only “emotions” that could have been created with the help of the internet. I might be over thinking a bit, but really. Where else will someone use those “emotions”?

Now people have gone to creating these symbols. Using faces other than human faces they create this meaning. Our world has gone from using to using squares, screenshots, drawings, animation, and more, to create our emotions. And we have learned how to communicate with them.

Now to tie it into art. Somehow. Is it art? Is this new way of communication art? How the faces are created? In a way, I think it might not necessarily be an art, but a new way of appreciating arts. There are plenty of these that have been taken from photos, paintings, films, and animation- and recreated to mean something else. So while this isn’t a new form of art itself, it can be argued to be a new form of art appreciation.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/communicating-emotion/feed/0paigecarlHumor, Fandoms, and Classic gameshttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/humor-fandoms-and-classic-games/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/humor-fandoms-and-classic-games/#respondFri, 20 Apr 2012 18:03:42 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=69Okay. So it’s not a mystery to people who know me that I have an unhealthy obsession with video game parodies. I was watching some earlier by the website DorklyBits and I began to think. Is this art? Does this classify as art? Sure there’s technology involved. I’m trying to think of the way they would do the animations as they do. Of course, my first guess is flash which is a very strong possibility. But that’s not what’s ultimately important in this. The importance comes in what makes up a great parody and I believe they definitely have played with this enough to come up with an answer.

In order for the parody to be great, it has to meet the expectations of the fandoms as well as be able to be understood by those not in the fandom. One of my favorites, for example- which is linked in this post- is about a Sim City monster telling off the player for building a bad city. The way the script is written makes it short and to the point. Of course, the acting is great too and not flat and the voice fluctuates as necessary.

In fact, fan made parodies could arguably require the most artistic talent to be good. The acting has to be understandable, the script has to be funny, and with the technology required the animation has to be fairly decent. Not necessarily as good as the original game or item, of course, but it should be recognizable.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/humor-fandoms-and-classic-games/feed/0paigecarlAnimating Pixelshttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/animating-pixels/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/animating-pixels/#respondWed, 18 Apr 2012 06:58:31 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=63Animation and programming go together more than people sometimes think. In fact, most movies now require a team of programmers to do the animation itself. The movie Tangled, for example, combined art with a team of programmers to make the hair and the clothes move flawlessly throughout the film.

This program, a program by Peter Blaškovič, allows one to begin to dapple in animation with pixels. A basic editor, the program he creates allows people to use some basic colors and a playing field to create a story of their own. Aside from a few small quirks that make going back and editing difficult, it’s a very interesting look into animation and the time-consuming nature of the art.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/animating-pixels/feed/0paigecarlPottermore: A New Elementhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/pottermore-a-new-element/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/pottermore-a-new-element/#commentsSun, 15 Apr 2012 04:31:06 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=60So as of late, author of the famous Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling has come out with a new on-line interactive experience for fans. Pottermore is now open for registration, where people can play and go through the different books of the series. They can join their favorite characters and see the series from a whole new perspective.

The website has been in the beta testing stage for a while- but was recently opened to the public. It’s fascinating, this author art form being played with in this way. However, I don’t think it’s much different then how technology has enhanced participation in fictional worlds in general.

I remember just a few years ago getting an account on a Harry Potter roleplaying website, just so I could create my own character and play that character through new stories. I feel that technology, computers, all of this programming has created a whole new way for people to interact with their favorite series- television or otherwise.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/pottermore-a-new-element/feed/1paigecarlWhat is art and what is technology?https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/what-is-art-and-what-is-technology/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/what-is-art-and-what-is-technology/#respondFri, 13 Apr 2012 05:19:32 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=30So earlier this month at my school there was an art exhibit. At this exhibit was a framed picture of a Facebook conversation. Yeah. A Facebook conversation framed as art.

I’m honestly not sure how I felt about it. Sure, there was a large photograph on top, below were three pictures: one was a diagram of a daisy, in the middle was the Facebook conversation, and the last was another diagram of the daisy. The picture itself of the Facebook conversation (out of respect for the creator, I wont be posting it) involved a group called “Backyard Revolution” posting a recipe for 200 year-old dandelion wine. There was a self-deprecating reply in need of clarification and the clarification was given, the last post being a promise to give the recipe a try.

I’m very unsure about how I feel about this. Is it art? And by that, what is art in this new age? I’ve seen tons of Facebook conversations, good and bad, posted on the internet. Does that make them all art-gallery worthy art? What makes this different? Is it the juxtaposition the art had with the surroundings artistry of nature? Is the mix of nature and technology that fascinating and that odd that a Facebook conversation framed is suddenly art?

What do you think? Is this truly an art or is it merely a dime-a-dozen Facebook conversation?

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/what-is-art-and-what-is-technology/feed/0paigecarlDisney and Movementhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/disney-and-movement/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/disney-and-movement/#respondTue, 10 Apr 2012 03:25:21 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=55So I was exploring Stumbleupon today and I came across this magical piece of choreography, memories, and music. It’s beautiful as it brings up multiple gifs from Disney movies, some of these playing sound over the background music to create a beautiful song. The gifs are masterfully timed and played with so that each flows flawlessly into the other and you can feel the movement.

The video contains clips from multiple Disney classics: Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, and more. It’s so beautiful and definitely worth a full minute or so to watch the detailing. The awe that comes from the flow and the magic. Disney has a reputation for being magical. And this cut-up of clips is certainly so.

Also, thanks to modern technology, the beautiful piece was able to be cut up as need be with the clips placed where they needed. It was made available through a computer program and without the timing commands it wouldn’t be nearly as impressive.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/disney-and-movement/feed/0paigecarlPAC-MAN The Movie- Use All the Arts!https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/pac-man-the-movie-use-all-the-arts/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/pac-man-the-movie-use-all-the-arts/#respondSat, 07 Apr 2012 06:10:06 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=51Okay. So as someone who is largely interested in film, I was skeptical when I started to watch the fan-made film of Pac-Man. I mean, really. Where are you going to go with that? What story lies beneath it? It’s an interesting game, yes. It’s very fun, yes. But really, it’s Pac-Man.

However, I then watched it. And it blew my mind. I was so amazed. And then I wondered- what was it that made this as great as it was? Then I realized: It’s how all these different forms of art have gathered together to create one kick-butt trailer. The script was fascinating, how it incorporated multiple aspects of what we know to be Pac-Man’s traits. Like his love for cherries. The acting was very well done as well. And then we get into the digital effects which made me pause all my work and just stare.

The CGI, realistic and amazing, created this whole world full of heart-pounding adventure in very little time. The most fascinating part out of all of this, is it wouldn’t be at all possible without computers or programming pretty much every step of the way. From the original 80s game of Pac-Man being animated (probably with very simple if-statements, some loops, a timer, and some response commands) to this video with digital surroundings being created and rendered- this is truly an art that requires taking from every form of art out there.

]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/pac-man-the-movie-use-all-the-arts/feed/0paigecarlUse your Imaginationhttps://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/use-your-imagination/
https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/use-your-imagination/#respondFri, 06 Apr 2012 04:08:48 +0000http://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/?p=48This site that I’m going to share with you all right now is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and fun. There are so many different ways to play with your imagination and the beauty that can come from this sort of technology. I don’t know how much more I can say other than my favorites being Imagination and Bouncy Balls. You really have to look at it to understand the beauty: http://neave.com/imagination/.
]]>https://keepingupwithyesterday.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/use-your-imagination/feed/0paigecarl